Today’s blog entry is from Hannah J. Carter. Hannah is a member of Café RE Blue.
What You Need Is Around You
By: Hannah J Carter / 10-31-24
We live in the day-and-age of “order this, email that, swipe here, scroll up, notify this, remind me of that, DING, DING, ALERT, ALERT, ALARM, ALARM”. It is all…way too much. It is all…not good for us. Sometimes the more modernized our lives become, the more unpleasant and unsatisfying they become. We find vices when the world becomes all too overwhelming. When we feel like there is no pause button. I drank my troubles away; or so I thought I did.
Do you purchase your issues away? Eat your trauma? Smoke your shame? As a society we look for ways to unplug. We look for the answers to our problems; sometimes desperately. Life at times can feel like we are all swimming to keep our heads above the water line with no land in sight – but why? Why are we, to what seems at times, hopelessly swimming to a shoreline that is never going to come? What you need is already all around you. What you need has been here all along. Sometimes when we sit and look around, the answers come to us. We just need to sit, un-plug, un-send, un-tweet, un-attend, un-wind, and un-human ourselves to see the answers we need are already here.
Life Is A River: Flow or Resist
I don’t have to say it but we all know that life gets well….”Lifey”. At times it feels like we are the universe’s personal joke and when you are already down, you get kicked again for the fun of it. While that may not be a news flash to you, this may be. You get the choice of accepting life or not accepting it; and that choice is only yours to make. That tree limb that fell on your car during that last thunderstorm, will not re-attach itself to the tree if you are angry enough.
Life does not offer a reverse button when our emotions are spiraling. Unfortunately, that is just not a matter of fact. Fortunately, you have the choice to flow with the river of life, like a leaf floating downstream, or resist it, like the lifeless boulders on the river’s edge. We all know the easier option. We all know the option that will help keep us sober. Accept the flow of life and you too will keep moving forward.
Perfectionism Is Overrated
I remember before every social event I would drink. I would drink to feel cooler, to feel more social, to feel more perfect for the party, searching relentlessly for perfectionism with my ex-partner-in-crime, alcohol. Want me to jump ahead and ruin the end of the story for you? Shocker! It didn’t work. It didn’t work for many reasons. Nature reminds us that perfectionism is sinister, it’s overrated.
Perfectionism is a concept that simply does not exist in nature. A tree is never perfectly straight. No leaf mirrors the next. Nothing is perfect yet it’s the most perfect system on this earth. You are whole the way you are. Your “imperfections” are actually your superpowers keeping you closer to the light, letting you absorb more energy, and leaning you towards the right direction. You are enough as is. No drink, no person nor no substance can fill a spot that was never empty to begin with.
Nature Does Not Think Twice, She Knows
As humans we are faced with tough decisions at times. Confusion and worry can fill our headspace causing anxiety, stress, and uncertainty. Deep down we all have the “feeling”. That little voice that wants to force its way from the inside out. That little voice is the collective of your morals, values, and beliefs. Much like the earth, ours are centered deep within us too. What really makes us us, is well, within us.
Again, just as the earth we have layers upon that focused, authentic center. Layers of life experiences, emotions, thoughts, realities, and the rest of this messy, exhilarating journey called being a human. When nature makes a decision, it is based within instinct. A flock does not question the direction it migrates because inside it knows the right answer. A baby bird may falter for its first flight, but it never second guesses the capability of its own wings. When you feel off-centered, lost, or hopeless lean in. Think about and trust what is at the center of yourself; what you know versus what you believe. Deep down you know the right answer, choose it. It is calling loudly for your selection.
Take A Walk Outside With Me
It’s Fall outside. The leaves are turning rainbow colors of light yellow, rose red and burnt orange. Your body is buzzing from the end of a busy day. You can’t seem to feel calm, you can’t seem to gain that sense of peace you felt when you first awoke this morning, you plant your feet, hearing the smashing sounds of gravel and dried leaves under your shoes. A gust of wind rushes through your hair. You close your eyes and take a deep breath. The wind takes your worries and stress away like a thief in the night. Suddenly you notice the sound of a bird calling in the distance. The rustle of a changing season. You can hear the melody of mother nature embracing another chance for a fresh start. Your eyes open and you walk on.
Weaving through the maze of trees, you see glimmers of light jetting through the small spaces in the canopy. Illuminating the color-rich trees like a cathedral’s stained-glass windows on a Sunday morning. You can feel the presence of something bigger than you all around, you soak in the years of wisdom the forest offers, you embrace the quiet, the stillness, the peace. Suddenly, the buzz and chatter that once filled your head is no longer there. A playful squirrel darts across the walking path, bringing a small yet significant smile to your face. You begin to remember the simple pleasures in life. Next, you’re filled with gratitude and peace. All of this from a simple walk? Yes, all of this from a simple walk outside.
Thank You For Reading
These lessons can be received in many different ways. To some this may really hit home. Per say, a light bulb may have gone off above your head. To others the cheesy examples of nature to life lessons can cause an eye roll or two. To that, all I will say is, Fair! Regardless, what I hope you take out of this spiel is that life can be crazy, heavy, and utterly chaotic at times but instead of searching for answers, look around.
Nature teaches us many lessons about the importance of community, learning from growing, acceptance, taking only what you need, being grounded and so much more. Maybe the answers to our answer-less questions are already here? Maybe instead of searching, we need to be listening, instead of drowning ourselves in what the world says will fix our problems, we get back to our roots? We get back to where it began for us all. We get back to nature.
